The Past Is Past
by CarVie16
Summary: Following the events of "Call Me A Schemer, Call Me A Freak," Carlos' soul wakes up in the afterlife, only to discover that he has an opportunity to live again. Will he choose to wake up, or will he heed his own words and let the past motivate him to move on?
**The cover image and the summary pretty much tells you who this story is about, so I got nothing else to type. Enjoy.**

 **Leave a review after reading. Please.**

The story begins in an astral plane. There are two sides in this mysterious realm. One side is the Underworld, where ghosts, souls of the wicked and miserable, are trapped for an eternity. The other side is Mount Olympus, where the pure souls who passed away can rest in peace. The gap between lands has been empty since the beginning of time. All of a sudden, a force has created land in the gap as a new soul lands in between the two lands.

Zeus comes down the mountain to investigate, along with a few soldiers. What they see before them is a young man with snow white hair and wearing the colors red, black, and white. Some people from the world of the living will be able to recognize him as the son of Cruella de Vil, Carlos. The boy begins to wake up. The first thing he sees are soldiers pointing their spears at him. He crawls back in surprise and fright.

"Where am I?" asked Carlos.

"My boy, you are in the afterlife," answered Zeus. "Now, allow me to ask a question. Who are you?"

"C-C-Carlos," stuttered the boy. "Carlos de Vil."

"De Vil? As in offspring of Cruella de Vil?" asked Zeus.

"Is... is that gonna be a problem?" asked a clearly nervous Carlos.

"Depends," replied Zeus. "You are not on Mount Olympus or in the Underworld."

Carlos looks up and saw a tall mountain behind Zeus. He turns around and saw a land full of ghosts roaming. Being the smart boy he is, he can tell which is which.

"I've read about this," started Carlos. "Mount Olympus is where the good souls go. The Underworld is where the bad souls go."

"Which begs the question. Why are you in between lands?" wondered a curious Zeus.

Suddenly, a voice echoes in the sky. "I believe I can answer that."

Appearing before the Greek God and the young boy is the Enchantress herself.

"Enchantress," greeted Zeus formally.

"Zeus," greeted the Enchantress formally, bowing.

The Enchantress turns around and saw a still nervous and clearly confused Carlos. She offers her hand. Carlos hesitates, but allows the Enchantress to help him stand.

"I'm dead, am I?" asked Carlos.

"I think you already knew that," responded the Enchantress.

"But if I am dead, why am I in between the two lands?" asked Carlos. "Have I been good, or have I been bad?"

"The reason you aren't in either world is because there is still life in you," said the Enchantress. "True, you have passed away, but deep within your heart, your core still glows red."

"How is that possible?" asked Zeus.

The Enchantress puts both her hands on Carlos' head, then casts a memory bubble. Within the bubble, everyone can see a memory of Carlos' final kiss with Evie in the Temple of Waqie.

"What does this mean?" asked Zeus.

"It still puzzles me, but the way I see it, the kiss was an act of true love. The fire of the dragon was taking his life, but that one kiss managed to spark the love within him," said the Enchantress.

"This, my lady, is most mysterious," said Zeus, scratching his chin.

"You probably never heard this, but there is a saying. 'Love never dies,'" said the Enchantress. "The dragon fire would've ensured his heart would stop beating, but that kiss he shared with the woman he loves kept the love in his heart alive."

"And how does that explain why I'm standing on this floating rock?" asked a confused Carlos.

"You may have died, but a part of you is still alive," answered the Enchantress. "You have a chance to live."

"But I thought that once you're dead, you can never come back," said Carlos.

"Don't you remember your friend? Sofia the First?" reminded the Enchantress.

"Well, my friend, Mal, did bring her back to life," remembered Carlos. "I hope she's happy."

"She wishes she never came back to life, but she is happy," said the Enchantress.

"So, what's this about me having a chance to live?" asked Carlos.

"The love in your heart lives. All you need is your soul to wake up," said the Enchantress. "All you have to do is jump off this rock and into the abyss."

"It's that simple?" asked Carlos.

"Almost," said the Enchantress. "If you wish to live again, you will only last seven days in the land of the living. If you don't return to your grave before sunset on the seventh day, your soul will burn. But there is one way you can truly live again. An act of true love. The only catch is you can't use the same act that saved your heart. You need an act of true love from someone else."

"How are you certain?" asked Zeus.

"I had to use up almost all my magic to know what transpires here," said the Enchantress.

"No one is infallible, but it's hard to argue with your knowledge," said Zeus.

"So, I can just go back?" asked Carlos.

"The choice is yours," said the Enchantress.

"Can I ask a question? If Evie and I never kissed, where would I have ended up?" asked Carlos.

"I believe the answer to that question is already obvious," said the Enchantress. "You may have been a spoiled child to begin with and you have a dark side that you try to conceal, but you have always done the right thing and behaved like a good boy. There is no doubt that Mount Olympus is where your soul belongs. You can go with Zeus and let your soul rest in peace, or you can go back to the woman you love. It's your choice."

Carlos stares into the abyss. He was about to jump off the rock, but he hesitated. He took a few steps back and thinks.

"Is something wrong?" asked the Enchantress.

"I... I need time to think about this," said Carlos.

"While you do, here's a little something." The Enchantress gives Carlos a shell. "Just open it, then close it when you want to. Simple."

The Enchantress disappears and returns to the land of the living. Zeus and his soldiers return to the top of Mount Olympus. Carlos is now left sitting down on a floating rock, thinking about his next move. He sits down in the middle and stares at the shell. A menacing laugh startles him and snaps him out of his contemplation. Someone comes out of the Underworld and sneaks up behind the boy. He poofs in front of the boy and says, "Boo," scaring Carlos.

It was Hades, Lord of the Underworld. He started laughing. "You should've seen the look on your face. I was all 'boo,' and you were all 'aahhh.'" He continued laughing.

"Hades, am I correct?" guessed Carlos.

"Why, I'm touched," said Hades, acting surprised.

"Everyone knows who you are. You're bad news," said Carlos.

"Why, I'm offended." Hades acted hurt, clutching his chest. "I'm just a guy who want to entertain those who has passed away."

"Why are you here? Why aren't you in the Isle of the Lost?" asked Carlos. "Your daughter, Hazel, is still there, but not you."

"When Maleficent freed the villains, I took the opportunity to return to the Underworld," said Hades. "Unfortunately, Zeus 'blocked' me from leaving the afterlife. Once again, I'm trapped. But it's not so bad here."

"Don't try to manipulate me, Hades. I'm not going to the Underworld," said Carlos.

"You're being surprisingly brave," said Hades. "I thought you were a coward."

"People change," said Carlos. "Maybe I am still a coward, but I've learned bravery during my time."

"C'mon, boy. I promise you that the Underworld will be like Wonderland, except, of course, everyone down there is dead," pleaded Hades.

"You can say whatever you want. You're not changing my mind," said Carlos.

"What are you going to do? Go to Mount O'Lame'pus?" questioned Hades with disrespect. "Or jump down and come back to life?"

"I'm still thinking about it," said Carlos. "Go away."

Hades didn't leave. He continued monologuing. "I've studied you, boy. You're some techy genius who conquered his fear of dogs and always has a positive attitude. What's with the change of attitude?"

"You have no idea what I've suffered," said Carlos.

"You're right. I don't," replied Hades in a fast tone. He starts spinning a skull on his finger like a basketball as he continued. "But it surprises me that you're all grim for someone full of energy when he was alive. I mean..."

Hades just kept going on, boring and annoying Carlos. He looks back at the shell. He opens it and bright light escaped from it. Carlos shields his eyes from the light. Hades was overwhelmed by the light that he shut his mouth and returned to the Underworld.

* * *

When the light ceased, Carlos opened his eyes. He was in a cemetery in the middle of the night. He looks at the gravestone he was lying against. It had his name on it. He reaches out to touch it, but his hand went through the stone. Carlos saw the shell next to him. It was still open. A voice echoed in his head. "J _ust open it, then close it when you want to."_ Carlos realized what the shell was for. It would allow his ghost to roam in the land of the living. He will return to the afterlife when he decides to close the shell.

He saw someone heading for his grave. It was Evie. Carlos can barely move from the sight of her. Just staring at her beautiful face makes him freeze in place. Evie sat down before Mal's grave, which is next to Carlos'. Carlos was very tempted to hold her hand, but he remembers that he is dead and his hand will only go through her. He just sits down next to her, whether she knows he's there or not. All he can do is listen to her speak.

"Hi, Mal. Been a while. I know it's been, like, a few weeks since my last visit, but I just wanted you to know that I'm feeling better. Sofia came back to our school, and she helped me. I'm still in pain, of course, but I thought you would like to hear that I'm finally moving on with my life. Nothing will happen to me if I spend everyday visiting you and Carlos, crying and hoping you're still here. Just because you're gone, doesn't mean I have to stop living. Sofia helped me realize that. I hope you're happy for me."

Evie stands, takes a few steps, then sits down before Carlos' grave.

"Evening, my love. I hope you're resting in peace. It's really hard for me to live without you around, but I know you would want me to make most of my life. It's just not easy getting used to not seeing you everyday, just hanging out and stuff, but at least you've taught me the meaning of true love. If you didn't take me to the garden that night, I would've spent the rest of my life with Doug. As sweet as he is, you're the only prince charming for this girl. I really hope that you've forgiven me. I just wish I can apologize to you further in person."

Evie gently caresses Carlos' gravestone before leaving the cemetery. Carlos was in tears over the words she said to him. He was happy to see that she wasn't too miserable from his death. He watches her leave before turning back to his grave. He looks at the open shell again. Remembering everything Evie said, he thinks that he should move on to Mount Olympus to rest in peace, since Evie looks like she was beginning to move on with her life. Once again, he hesitated. He is once again thinking about what he should do. He sits down staring at his own grave for hours as he thinks about his next move.

* * *

The next morning, Carlos wakes up from his evening slumber, and when he woke up, he wonders why the dead need sleep. He thinks it's a habit. When he stood up, he stares at the open shell again.

"What to do? What to do?" He began talking to himself. "Move on, or come back?"

Carlos decided to head to Auradon Prep. By the time he got there, it was already lunch time, meaning everyone gathered outside to eat. Carlos sees everyone having a good time. The sight of this made him a little envious, but he didn't let it affect him. He is, after all, just a ghost now. He saw the hero kids gather, including Sofia. It really made Carlos smile to see his friend alive and well. Even now, it was still hard to swallow the fact that she was alive. Even though Mal brought her back to life, he still feels like it's a dream. He decided to shrug it off because he did, after all, spend an entire week in Enchancia being treated by Sofia and her mother through therapy.

"Sofia, my friend, you have no idea how happy I am to see you today. I don't know why you're here, but it's nice to see everyone happy to see you. I just hope you're not here because of another great evil coming to destroy everyone. Evie's already in enough pain with what happened to me and Mal. The last thing she needs is an apocalypse taking away someone else she cares about."

He turns his head and saw Evie and Jay sitting down in the table near the hero kids. He decided to walk closer so he can listen to them and see how Jay is. They were talking about the Tourney championship match coming in three days. From the look of Jay, Carlos can tell that he was doing better than Evie. This made him smile.

"Good luck, Jay. Make me proud. Make Mal proud."

Later that day, the school day was over. Everyone was either in their dorms studying or out having fun. Carlos was heading to Jay's dorm. As he walked past Evie's dorm, he heard an explosion from inside. He stands by the door and listens. First, he heard Evie coughing.

Evie says, "Don't worry, E. If Carlos can do it, you can do it."

Even though he thinks it's wrong, Carlos phases through the door, wanting to see what Evie was doing. She was working on a piece of technology. He recognizes it as one of the gadgets he planned on making. He drew every piece of tech he was planning to build in his pad. He saw that the pad was with Evie. He can't help but smile that Evie was finishing the work he never started on, since he passed away. He looks at the pad and saw that she was working on the bubble blaster. He was confused. It was meant to be a weapon, but there is no one left to fight since Maleficent is dead. He thinks she's probably trying to turn it into a children's toy. "If you want to turn one of my weapons into a toy, try my electric sword. Only, don't make it electric."

Carlos leaves the room and proceeds to Jay's dorm. By the time he got there, Jay was already leaving. He was on the phone.

"Okay, princess. 9 o'clock, then," said Jay, talking on the phone.

"Must be Audrey," guessed Carlos.

* * *

A few hours later, Carlos saw Evie going to Lonnie and Sofia's dorm. She was there for her weekly therapy sessions with Sofia. Carlos decided to see how Sofia does with Evie. He stands by the door and listens. Inside, Sofia was holding a few pieces of papers.

"Okay, Evie, let's begin," started Sofia. She holds up one piece of paper with a silhouette on it. "What do you see?"

"A man lying down," answered Evie.

Sofia holds up another piece of paper. "What do you see?"

"Goo all over a wall," answered Evie.

Sofia holds up another. "What do you see?"

"Fire," answered Evie.

"Looks like you're good," said Sofia. "Maybe this should be your final therapy session."

"No," said Evie. "I don't mind doing these every week."

"Still in pain?" asked Sofia.

"Of course I am," said Evie. "But that doesn't mean you're not helping. I can see why Carlos really acted like the man I loved when he returned from Enchancia."

"All that time with him made me see why you love him so much," said Sofia. "You two were perfect together."

"Yeah, we were," agreed Evie. "But he's gone now. Everything I do from this point is because of the one thing he always says. 'The past is past. Forgive, forget.'"

Outside, Carlos heard everything. Even without looking, he can tell that Sofia was trying to silhouette drawing test on Evie. When he heard the last thing Evie said, his smile dropped. The words that he always says to everyone begin to sink in.

"The past is past. Forgive, forget," he repeated.

* * *

Carlos returns to the cemetery. The shell was next to his grave was still open. He was still uncertain whether to let his soul rest in peace in Mount Olympus or if he should come back and see Evie for real. Feeling the emotions eat him up, he started to sing.

...

 _The past is past, forgive, forget_

 _That's what I always say_

 _The past is past, forgive, forget_

 _It was always my way_

 _XXX_

 _Why is it so hard this time?_

 _Is it because of the magic of the nighttime?_

 _Or is it because of what I'm feeling?_

 _Or is it the pain in my heart healing?_

 _XXX_

 _I don't know what to do_

 _Move on or come back to life?_

 _All of this is making me blue_

 _I feel myself caught in a strife_

 _XXX_

 _The past is past, forgive, forget_

 _That's what I always say_

 _The past is past, forgive, forget_

 _It was always my way_

 _XXX_

 _Could I just forget about love?_

 _Am I going to feel any better?_

 _I'm just staring at the stars above_

 _I think they're sending me a letter_

 _XXX_

 _Can I really just move on?_

 _Just to remove the pain?_

 _Let everybody know that I'm long gone?_

 _And remove the ache in my brain?_

 _XXX_

 _The past is past, forgive, forget_

 _That's what I always say_

 _The past is past, forgive, forget_

 _It was always my way_

 _It was always my way_

...

As soon as he finished singing, he picks up the shell. Suddenly, he heard crying. He turns around and saw the Enchantress, wiping her tears with a white piece of cloth.

"Ms. Enchantress," greeted Carlos. "I didn't know you were here."

"I was just on my way to see you," said the Enchantress. "But when you started singing, I couldn't speak just yet."

"You loved it?" asked Carlos.

"It was beautiful," said the Enchantress. "So, have you made up your mind?"

"Actually, I think I need to spend a long time in the afterlife," said Carlos. "I want to move on, but it hurts me to just..." He sighs. "I need more time."

"I understand," said the Enchantress before disappearing.

Carlos turns back to the shell. After a long hesitation, he closes the shell, and he is magically transported back to the afterlife. Once again, he is standing on a floating piece of rock in between Mount Olympus and the Underworld. He stares at the abyss below him, but he just steps away. He is facing a tough choice. If he was a man who always heeded his own words, he would've moved on to Mount Olympus immediately, but there was something within him that prevented him. Was it the burning desire to see Evie again, and see her look at him with her own eyes? Was it the fact that his life didn't end in a more peaceful note? Whatever the answer was, he was willing to let his soul stay in the astral plane until he finds out.

 **Story about Mal, check.** **Story about Evie, check.** **Story about Jay, check.** **Story about Carlos, check.**

 **Please be patient for my next story. It will be a multi-chapter story.**

 **Leave a review. Please.**


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